The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Worland Field Office announces the availability of a mine and reclamation plan review on a proposed bentonite mining project in Hot Springs County, Wyo.

Wyo-Ben, Inc. proposes to conduct new bentonite mining and concurrent reclamation on public land in the Meeteetse Draw area located north of Thermopolis. The proposal consists of mining 10 to 15 acres per year for an estimated 10-20 years.

Public input is valuable early in the process and will assist the BLM in its analysis of the impacts of the proposed project. This analysis will be released for public review at a later date.

The mine and reclamation plan review period runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 30, 2011. Comments may be emailed to worland_wymail@blm.gov; please include "Wyo-Ben" in the subject line. Comments may also be mailed to AFM Minerals and Lands, BLM Worland Field Office, 101 S. 23rd Street, Worland, WY 82401.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.